Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
The past 25 seasons have been a mixed bag for McLaren but the 2024 campaign finally saw them return to the top of the Formula 1 standings.
McLaren won their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998 at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
It was the culmination of years of hard work behind the scenes from the Woking-based team under the leadership of Andrea Stella and Zak Brown.
It’s an achievement that forever lives on the CV of their current drivers but over the last 24 years, 17 drivers have donned the silver and black, now papaya-coloured racing overalls to represent the team.
17. Alexander Wurz (2005)
- 1 Grand Prix
- 6 points
- 1 podium
- Best result: 3rd, 2005 San Marino Grand Prix
Alex Wurz may feel a little hard done by to be sitting bottom of this list considering he’s got a 100% record of finishing on the podium with McLaren.
The Austrian was McLaren’s test driver for four seasons before being called upon for the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix in place of the injured Juan Pablo Montoya.
Wurz was 1.7 seconds off the pace of teammate Kimi Raikkonen in qualifying but finished third as the Finn was forced to retire with a driveshaft problem.
He would never compete again for McLaren, with his final season in F1 coming in 2007 with Williams. The 50-year-old is now head of the GPDA and regularly seen in the paddock.
16. Pedro de la Rosa (2005-2006)
- 9 Grand Prix
- 23 points
- 1 podium
- Best result: 2nd, 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix
Like Wurz, Pedro de la Rosa initially was called up for a single race in 2005, finishing fifth in Bahrain before the test driver’s podium in the following Grand Prix.
However, when Montoya walked away from McLaren halfway through the 2006 campaign, de la Rosa was given eight races to prove himself.
He scored a single podium in Hungary before going on to race for Sauber and HRT. The Spaniard is now an ambassador for Aston Martin.
15. Stoffel Vandoorne (2016-2018)
- 42 Grand Prix
- 26 points
- Best result: 7th, 2017 Malaysian and Singapore Grand Prix
Stoffel Vandoorne was extremely highly rated among F1 experts but was a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He joined McLaren in 2016 when the team were on a downward spiral and while he held his own against Button, the car simply wasn’t competitive.
His best result of 7th for McLaren, achieved in back-to-back races in 2017 is the worst of any driver featured in this list
The Belgian went on to become a Formula E champion and is still working in the world of Formula 1 as part of the Aston Martin set-up.
14. Sergio Perez (2013)
- 19 Grand Prix
- 49 points
- Best result: 5th, 2013 Indian Grand Prix
Sergio Perez burst onto the scene with Sauber and after two seasons, McLaren decided to draft him in as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.
That proved to be too much for the Mexican driver, who was outclassed by teammate Jenson Button throughout the year.
READ MORE: Best moments of Sergio Perez’s F1 career including first pole, podium, win and more
Perez’s best result came at the short-lived Indian Grand Prix and joined Force India the following year.
A successful spell with the team that eventually became Racing Point led to a seat at Red Bull.
After four campaigns, Red Bull parted ways with Perez, leaving him off the grid for the first time since 2010 next year.
13. Kevin Magnussen (2014-2015)
- 20 Grand Prix
- 55 points
- 1 podium
- Best result: 2nd, 2014 Australian Grand Prix
Like Perez, Kevin Magnussen has lost his F1 seat going into the 2025 season after three separate spells in the sport.
Magnussen divided opinion at McLaren when he was first promoted into a race seat in 2014, but immediately made an impact by securing a podium on his debut in Australia.
READ MORE: Kevin Magnussen admits he ‘probably should have’ accepted Christian Horner’s 2019 seat offer
Unfortunately, after 185 race starts in Formula 1, it’s the only time the Dane appeared on the rostrum.
He was another of Button’s teammates who failed to live up to expectations and aside from one stand-in performance in 2015, he returned to a reserve driver role before joining Renault.
12. Heikki Kovalainen (2008-2009)
- 35 Grand Prix
- 75 points
- 1 win
- 3 podiums
- 1 pole position
- Best result: 1st, 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix
In the fallout of the Fernando Alonso and Hamilton spat in 2007, the Spaniard returned to Renault and Heikki Kovalainen was poached from the French team in a straight swap.
He had previously spent time as a McLaren test driver and in his first season secured his only Formula 1 victory, playing a supporting role in Hamilton’s first Drivers’ Championship victory.
A year later, he had slipped to 12th in the standings, leading to a move to Lotus and eventually Caterham where he and the British team eventually fell off the grid.
11. Daniel Ricciardo (2021-2022)
- 44 Grand Prix
- 152 points
- 1 win
- 1 podium
- Best result: 1st, 2021 Italian Grand Prix
In his prime, Daniel Ricciardo was one of the most formidable drivers in Formula 1 and is the only driver to have bettered both Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen at different stages of his career.
However, after two successful years with Renault, he made the switch to McLaren in a move that unfortunately coincided with a downturn in form and a car that didn’t suit his driving style.
Ricciardo won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix against all odds, his final victory before losing his seat at RB earlier this year.
Brown sent a message to Ricciardo when he was replaced by Lawson, highlighting how popular he was with the Woking-based team despite his struggles.
10. Carlos Sainz (2019-2020)
- 38 Grand Prix
- 201 points
- 2 podiums
- Best result: 2nd, 2020 Italian Grand Prix
Carlos Sainz is another driver who has failed to demonstrate the full range of his talents in a McLaren during his two seasons with the team.
Paired with a young Lando Norris, he finished ahead of the Brit in both seasons they were together.
A second-place finish at Monza the year before Ricciardo’s victory was his crowning moment and would have only increased his popularity at Ferrari before his switch to the Scuderia that winter.
9. Juan Pablo Montoya (2005-2006)
- 26 Grand Prix
- 86 points
- 3 wins
- 7 podiums
- 2 pole positions
Juan Pablo Montoya was one of Formula 1’s most interesting characters from the 2000s, making the leap from CART in 2001.
He arrived to plenty of fanfare, putting together quick but inconsistent performances for Williams before signing for McLaren in 2005.
READ MORE: Christian Horner admits Juan Pablo Montoya made him realise he would never race in Formula 1
Montoya finished fourth in the championship in his only full season with the team, picking up three wins.
However, he quit McLaren halfway through 2006 to return to the USA to race in NASCAR with some questioning whether he ever fulfilled his full potential in a Formula 1 car.
8. Oscar Piastri (2023-Present)
- 46 Grand Prix
- 389 points
- 2 wins
- 10 podiums
When McLaren decided to buy Ricciardo out of his contract at the end of the 2022 season, it highlighted just how much faith they have in Oscar Piastri.
Piastri won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in back-to-back years before McLaren poached him from Alpine before they could confirm that he had a race seat for 2023.
What followed was two years of the Australian proving McLaren made the right choice to swap him in for Ricciardo and he’s already a multiple-race winner.
Piastri is recognised as one of Max Verstappen’s biggest rivals heading into 2025, highlighting his ultimate potential.
7. Fernando Alonso (2007, 2015-2018)
- 95 Grand Prix
- 241 points
- 4 wins
- 12 podiums
- 2 pole positions
It’s a credit to just how fast Fernando Alonso is that he features so high up this list considering the difficulties he faced at McLaren across two spells.
He arrived in 2007 as a double-world champion from Renault but was matched by Hamilton during his debut campaign, with both drivers ultimately missing out on the title to Raikkonen.
Alonso departed that winter, before returning to McLaren in 2015 at their lowest ebb.
He failed to score a podium during the four seasons he was with the team before departing Formula 1, only to return with Alpine in 2021.
However, his near-championship-winning campaign when he first arrived is enough to see Alonso ranked above the likes of Piastri and Montoya.
6. Mika Hakkinen (1993-2001)
- 34 Grand Prix (from 2000 season onwards)
- 126 points
- 6 wins
- 14 podiums
- 5 pole positions
Although Mika Hakkinen made his debut for McLaren in 1993 and won two championships for the team in 1998 and 1999, for the purposes of this list, only the last 25 seasons are being taken into account.
It means Hakkinen goes from competing for the top stop to having to settle for a position among the drivers who won multiple races for the team.
READ MORE: David Coulthard shares one of his biggest F1 regrets after letting McLaren ‘manipulate’ him
The Finn was exceptionally fast on his day, but his confidence had started to falter after a huge crash earlier in his career.
He quit in 2001, admitting in an interview with The Telegraph that he ‘avoided the last big crash’, even though he had the talent and speed to continue racing for several more seasons.
5. Jenson Button (2010-2017)
- 137 Grand Prix
- 908 points
- 8 wins
- 26 podiums
- 1 pole position
No driver in the period being judged in this list has competed in more races for McLaren than Button.
There was a time when season after season he would see a new teammate step up alongside him but ultimately fail to topple him as the team’s leading driver.
The likes of Magnussen and Perez came and went, before Button and Alonso tried to grind out every point possible during the latter stages of their careers.
The Brit’s eight victories for the team should be ignored and he finished second in the Drivers’ Championship to Vettel off the back of his only title with Brawn GP the year before.
4. Lando Norris (2019-Present)
- 128 Grand Prix
- 1007 points
- 4 wins
- 26 podiums
- 9 pole positions
Norris battled Verstappen valiantly in 2024 to try and win his first title, ultimately falling short but displaying the improvements he’s made since his F1 debut back in 2019.
The 25-year-old learned from Sainz during his first two years on the grid before announcing that he was a serious contender by getting the better of the much more experienced Ricciardo.
Piastri has proved to be a stern foe as well, but Norris finished the year with a significant points advantage over the Australian as well as his first four race victories.
Norris is only getting better and is unlikely to have a better chance of adding his name to McLaren’s world champions in 2025.
3. David Coulthard (1996-2004)
- 85 Grand Prix
- 254 points
- 7 wins
- 30 podiums
- 4 pole positions
Although David Coulthard couldn’t match Hakkinen’s achievements earlier in their spell together at McLaren, he ended up being the stronger driver during their final seasons together.
In 2001, Coulthard was Michael Schumacher’s closest competitor as Ferrari’s spell of dominance began.
He added seven victories and 30 podiums to his tally during his spell before departing for the newly formed Red Bull Racing team.
2. Kimi Raikkonen (2002-2006)
- 88 Grand Prix
- 337 points
- 9 wins
- 38 podiums
- 11 pole positions
When Hakkinen retired from Formula 1, he was replaced by another Finn who had achieved one of the fastest rises through the ranks of single-seater racing.
Raikkonen took part in nine Formula Ford-level races in 1999, before winning Formula Renault the following year.
That earned him a seat at Sauber and a year later, he was challenging for podiums with McLaren.
The 45-year-old finished second to Schumacher in 2003 and Alonso in 2005 before departing the team in 2007 to make way for the Spaniard and Hamilton.
While they were embroiled in a battle between themselves, Raikkonen then produced one of F1’s greatest comebacks to win his only title for Ferrari.
1. Lewis Hamilton (2007-2012)
- 110 Grand Prix
- 913 points
- 21 wins
- 49 podiums
- 26 pole positions
- 1 world championship (2008)
When Hamilton retires from Formula 1, he’ll be remembered for winning six championships with Mercedes in the most successful partnership in the history of the sport.
However, if it wasn’t for Hamilton’s time with McLaren, then success would never have been possible.
After finishing runner-up to Raikkonen during his debut season, he went one better and won the championship in 2008.
The four years that followed helped Hamilton reach a tally of 49 podiums and 21 victories, while also beginning his quest to achieve more than 100 career pole positions.
His time at McLaren won’t be forgotten and while Hamilton was delighted they won the championship in 2024, he’ll be hoping his new Ferrari venture sees him come out on top ahead of the papaya team in 2025.
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